Community Foundation: Financial aid framed dreams

Published: Sunday, November 11, 2012 at 8:32 a.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, November 11, 2012 at 8:32 a.m.

Cheryl Jones

Facts

The Community Foundation of Henderson County is celebrating its 30th year of impacting lives in the community. Here are profiles of two people who have been helped by the foundation.

Cheryl Jones received a lot of scholarships after she graduated from West Henderson High School and, while they were all a big help, two from the Community Foundation of Henderson County really stuck out.

“They had a vision,” Marlow said. “Hendersonville was growing.”

Marlow was the first female board member when she joined in 1983. She was working as a vice president at Northwestern Bank, which was the location for the first board meetings, when members came downstairs and told her she was going to be a board member.

“I don’t really know why they decided they needed a woman on that board,” she said, laughing. “They knew that I knew a lot of people, and that was important.”

The men had varied backgrounds. There were bank presidents, a surgeon, radio executives, attorneys, car dealers and oil executives.

“I think they wanted someone from all the different fields,” said Falvo, who was a surgeon at Pardee Hospital when he was asked to be a board member. “I wasn’t as knowledgeable of the business end as some of those guys were.”

He stared down at some of the foundation’s early marketing material and recalled that the original board received some of its early direction from the Polk County Community Foundation.

“We started to do quite well after a year,” Falvo recalled. “It seemed to flow right into us.”

The first two scholarships, formed in 1982, were the William C. Armstrong Memorial Scholarship and the Charlie Renfrow Scholarship. The first benefits a student studying wildlife. The latter is a scholarship for students that honors the beloved sports broadcaster.

By 1987, the foundation had surpassed $1 million in assets and had hired its first manager, Priscilla Cantrell, who was paid out of the pockets of the board. While the foundation was growing, it received disheartening news in 1988. The Council of Foundations did an assessment of the foundation and concluded that it would never reach $5 million in assets because of the size and the rural population.

Four years later, the persistent foundation surpassed that mark, and today the assets are more than $69 million. Contributions to the foundation exceed $2.2 million per year, and the organization hands out more than $2.3 million in grants each year.

“It has developed into what those original board members dreamed of,” Marlow said.

A key moment in that growth came in 2002, when the foundation received a $14.5 million bequest from Betty Scott. It was the largest gift in foundation history.

Through the years, the foundation has helped jump-start the Hendersonville Symphony Orchestra, helped with the creation of the Etowah branch of the Henderson County Public Library, and touched the lives of students all over Henderson County through scholarships.

“I love that we’re a broad-spectrum organization,” President and CEO McCray Benson said.

He pointed to the foundation’s work in the arts, education, health, animal welfare and other areas as an example. “That’s the wholeness of our lives,” he said. “That’s what makes this type of work and organization different than others.”

The Marlow scholarship has allowed Dot Marlow to see what a little help can do for a person’s life.

“It’s really been a joy for me to see the dreams come true,” she said. “I was really honored they asked me to be a part of it. The foundation has touched more lives than any other organization in Henderson County.”

<p>Cheryl Jones</p><p>Cheryl Jones received a lot of scholarships after she graduated from West Henderson High School and, while they were all a big help, two from the Community Foundation of Henderson County really stuck out. </p><p> “They had a vision,” Marlow said. “Hendersonville was growing.”</p><p>Marlow was the first female board member when she joined in 1983. She was working as a vice president at Northwestern Bank, which was the location for the first board meetings, when members came downstairs and told her she was going to be a board member.</p><p>“I don't really know why they decided they needed a woman on that board,” she said, laughing. “They knew that I knew a lot of people, and that was important.”</p><p>The original board in 1982 was made up of Bud Campbell, Dr. Herbert E. Coolidge, Dr. Samuel Falvo, Kermit Edney, Frank Ewbank, Tom Hunter Jr., Morris Kaplan, Donald B. Keith, William McKay, Duane McKibbin, Philip Milroy, Robert Prosser, Clint Thompson and Kenneth Youngblood.</p><p>The men had varied backgrounds. There were bank presidents, a surgeon, radio executives, attorneys, car dealers and oil executives.</p><p>“I think they wanted someone from all the different fields,” said Falvo, who was a surgeon at Pardee Hospital when he was asked to be a board member. “I wasn't as knowledgeable of the business end as some of those guys were.”</p><p>He stared down at some of the foundation's early marketing material and recalled that the original board received some of its early direction from the Polk County Community Foundation.</p><p>“We started to do quite well after a year,” Falvo recalled. “It seemed to flow right into us.”</p><p>The first two scholarships, formed in 1982, were the William C. Armstrong Memorial Scholarship and the Charlie Renfrow Scholarship. The first benefits a student studying wildlife. The latter is a scholarship for students that honors the beloved sports broadcaster.</p><p>By 1987, the foundation had surpassed $1 million in assets and had hired its first manager, Priscilla Cantrell, who was paid out of the pockets of the board. While the foundation was growing, it received disheartening news in 1988. The Council of Foundations did an assessment of the foundation and concluded that it would never reach $5 million in assets because of the size and the rural population.</p><p>Four years later, the persistent foundation surpassed that mark, and today the assets are more than $69 million. Contributions to the foundation exceed $2.2 million per year, and the organization hands out more than $2.3 million in grants each year.</p><p>“It has developed into what those original board members dreamed of,” Marlow said.</p><p>A key moment in that growth came in 2002, when the foundation received a $14.5 million bequest from Betty Scott. It was the largest gift in foundation history.</p><p>Through the years, the foundation has helped jump-start the Hendersonville Symphony Orchestra, helped with the creation of the Etowah branch of the Henderson County Public Library, and touched the lives of students all over Henderson County through scholarships.</p><p>“I love that we're a broad-spectrum organization,” President and CEO McCray Benson said.</p><p>He pointed to the foundation's work in the arts, education, health, animal welfare and other areas as an example. “That's the wholeness of our lives,” he said. “That's what makes this type of work and organization different than others.”</p><p>The Marlow scholarship has allowed Dot Marlow to see what a little help can do for a person's life.</p><p>“It's really been a joy for me to see the dreams come true,” she said. “I was really honored they asked me to be a part of it. The foundation has touched more lives than any other organization in Henderson County.”</p><p>Reach Millwood at 828-694-7881 or joey. millwood@blueridgenow.com.</p>